Dear readers, in this article we have the pleasure to offer you an interview with a German band playing Doom Metal, with a new EP fresh from release. We welcome Doomspatze.
Hi, it is a pleasure to have you among our pages, how are you?
“Very good, thanks! Weāre still excited about the release of our new EP :).“
The band formed at the end of last decade, how did the project and the choice of the name Doomspatze come about?
“It all started with a pun. Cologne has this great cathedral, the āKƶlner Domā. We were amazed that no one had ever made the joke about the proximity of āDomā and Doom. That’s when the idea was born to make a doom project with a Cologne connection. With time, the joke got more in the background and the music gets more and more important
for us.“
You play Doom Metal mixed with Psychedelic Rock, how did your passion for these genres come about?
“All three of us love the psych rock of the 60s and 70s. Stoner rock and doom metal are basically a continuation of that. For my part, I only really learned to love doom after the Doomspatze were founded.“
What are your sources of inspiration in this regard?
“Definitely Pink Floyd for all of us. I think you can hear that on the EP, especially in the playing of our guitarist Jan. But we were certainly also influenced by Krautrock bands and especially CAN, without whom Cologne wouldn’t be the city it is. More recent bands include (post-)hardcore bands like Fugazi or Lungfish. And is there actually a more atmospheric band than YOB?“
Your new EP āBabe Hitsā was released on April 19th, how would you describe this work?
ā‘Babe Hits’ consists of two instrumental songs and a cover with vocals in Cologne dialect. The individual parts of the songs are kept simple, but unfold strong dramaturgies and emotional developments with a heavy focus on the guitar. Itās noisy, boozy, psychedelic, dark and deeply emotional.“
Long instrumental textures characterise the tracks, how does the creative process of your music take place?
“The concept of the Doomspatze is that we meet once a year, rehearse a few times and then go into the studio over the weekend to record three songs. Our guitarist Jan writes all the songs and most of the arrangements. We then try to
prepare ourselves in the best possible way so that everything runs smoothly in the studio. We ourselves are amazed at how smooth and cool the whole thing goes. And what we manage to achieve in such a short time.“
Although your music is instrumental, what themes does this new EP deal with?
“Doomspatze is an exploration of what our city and the music scene in it mean to us. The instrumental pieces both have something very dark, but also humorous and hopeful about them. Margret Krohler” describes a religious scene, pilgrims on their way. But it’s actually about sex.“
This is your third record release, how has your sound evolved over time?
“We started the band more as a humorous satire project with a much stronger focus on the lyrics. Since our last EP Magnus, the focus has been much more on the songs. For the last two EPs, we spent a lot more time on post-production and the mastering was done by Krautrock legend “Eroc”. You can hear a clear difference, although we still really love the
first EP.“
I read in your Bandcamp among the tags the word Communism, which I was pleased to find, what do you want to tell us about it?
“For the first EP we were looking for a spoken word part to lay over the instrumental soundscape. Through a friend I came across Walter Stehling, a Cologne artist, squatter and generally a great guy. He translated Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto into wonderful Kƶlsch (our dialect). We knew immediately that this was the right text for the project.
Although I had already read the manifesto beforehand, the voice recordings were a very intensive and enriching engagement with Karl Marx and his ideas. We are far from dreaming of a communist society – unfortunately, the idea has always failed in reality. But especially in these times, when oligarchs and demagogues are spreading their poison all over the world, we should remember much more that true power lies in the hands of the people. If the workers of the world unite, we can overcome all conflicts and borders.“
Many of your fans and our readers are wondering if there will be a chance to hear your music live, do you have plans in this regard for the near future?
“Not in the near future. We played one gig with our old guitarist Till, which was fantastic. But at the moment we just can’t manage to rehearse regularly. But we definitely want to do it again at some point.“
Do you have any particular anecdotes or memories you would like to tell us about your live experiences?
“At our only gig we had a good friend and actor on stage who read out the communist manifesto to our music. He appeared in cardinal robes and performed a striptease during the reading breaks. I think we can rightly say that nothing like this has ever happened before. We all work in creative professions and deal with design, film and literature almost every day. The great designs of our guitarists really stand out: https://www.facebook.com/JanGestaltet“
The undergound heavy music scene is full of events and festivals, how important is it to keep these kinds of events alive?
“It’s not getting any easier to organize shows and events, especially in the cities. Rents are rising, clubs are dying. So it’s all the better to see that the underground scene is still going strong. There always has to be a counterculture, otherwise we’re screwed.“
Music is constantly evolving, how do you see today’s scene in your country and more generally in your genre?
“An incredible number of great stoner, doom and psychedelic bands have emerged in recent years. Thanks to the many small festivals and DIY show promoters, the scene is also becoming more and more internationally interconnected. We go to the Freak Valley Festival in Siegen every year and there hasn’t been a year in which we haven’t been completely surprised by the musical diversity.“
What advice would you give to young artists approaching music in a genre like yours?
“Simply do what you enjoy!“
Do you have any other artistic activities or passions outside of music?
“We all work in creative professions and are involved with design, film and literature
almost every day. The great designs of our guitarist are surely worth mentioning:
https://www.facebook.com/JanGestaltet/“
I thank the band for the interview, wishing them all the best for the promotion of their new release and the continuation of their artistic career.
“Thanks so much for having us!“
Purchase their new EP on Bandcamp: https://doomspatze.bandcamp.com/album/babe-hits
